The biggest news ahead of the UEFA Champions League semifinal between Barcelona and Chelsea is that Gerard Pique will not be starting. He's surprisingly been left on the Barcelona bench. Otherwise, Barca's lineup is as expected. Pep Guardiola was probably always going to go with a four-man back line, but if Pique is not starting because of fitness concerns, it more or less ties his hands. Chelsea have made one surprising selection, picking Raul Meireles in midfield. Here are the lineups
Chelsea Vs. Barcelona, 2012 UEFA Champions League: Lineups
Chelsea Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Ashley Cole, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic; John Obi Mikel, Raul Meireles; Juan Mata, Frank Lampard, Ramires; Didier Drogba
Barcelona Lineup (4-3-3): Victor Valdes; Adriano, Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano, Dani Alves; Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas; Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez
If you’re in the United States and looking for this game, it might not be where you expect. This game is not on FOX Soccer Channel because it has been moved to FX, a bigger channel available in more homes. You can still catch the game on FOX Deportes in Spanish. In Canada, the game is on Rogers Sportsnet regional networks, and you can find the game on ITV 1 in the UK.
We’ll have continuous pre-game updates and live game coverage in our Chelsea vs. Barcelona, UEFA Champions League Semifinals StoryStream. For more on the two teams, head over to Chelsea FC blog We Ain’t Got No History and FC Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes.
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